Bu Kolthoum Dwells On Betrayal And Deception on ‘Ibnil Zanyeh'
Syrian multidisciplinary artist Bu Kolthoum returns with explicit single 'Ibnil Zanyeh,' the first taste of his upcoming album 'Shadeed.'
Amsterdam-based Syrian artist Bu Kolthoum is back with 'Ibnil Zanyeh', an explicit first single that kicks-off the lead-up to his upcoming album Shadeed.
Produced by MA7SUUBAK and MOKLAM, the track sits on a mellow bed of vibraphone, guitar, and bass, giving it a soulful, almost lounge-like warmth that sits in tension with what's actually being said. Bu Kolthoum takes up a loose, melodic rapping style, with an unhurried but pointed delivery, as he works through themes of betrayal and disillusionment. There's an explicit edge to the writing, and a political undertone running beneath the personal one, as he sounds like someone who has stopped giving people the benefit of the doubt.
That tension carries into the accompanying music video, directed by Najim Jansen. Shot in black and white with simple but atmospheric framing, the video holds its focus on Bu Kolthoum himself, who appears more exposed than usual, letting the song's themes of seeing through deception play out in his expression rather than through visual spectacle.
As the opening statement for Shadeed, 'Ibnil Zanyeh' sets up an album that promises to keep threading the needle between street-level commentary and a more refined musical sensibility, with Bu Kolthoum positioning himself as both narrator and subject of the stories he's telling.
